Individual Accolades

While banking points to strengthen the team's performance, USC track and field boasted 11 first team All-Americans based on individual successes at the NCAA championships.

Senior Nia Ali was the only Trojan to place first in an event after setting a personal best 12.63 in the 100m hurdles. She also scored for the squad with a 6th place leap in the high jump.

"Nia Ali leaves as an All-American, an NCAA champion and second to Virginia Powell in school history in the 100m hurdles," said head coach Ron Allice. "Anytime you run
under 12.7 in the hurdles you are elite, not just collegiately, but on
the national level. I think she has a chance to do well at the
professional level."

Brendan Ames bronzed a third place finish in the 110m hurdles to ink the best performance on the men's side.

"Brendan Ames is a great success story," said Allice. "He was a national junior
champion out of high school and then struggled two seasons at Kentucky
before he came to USC. He received great tutelage from coach Tommie White and has made tremendous progress, becoming a two-time All-American and
had he not gotten injured in the long jump at the 2010 Pac-10
Championships, who is to say that he wouldn't have been an All-American
last season, too."